"Zephyr... Tsuru!"
In the distance, Sengoku and Garp simultaneously felt their hearts tighten.
Though locked in fierce combat with powerful enemies, their Observation Haki continued to envelop the entire battlefield.
The moment they sensed Zephyr being injured from the direct confrontation and Tsuru being struck down, rage nearly burned through their chests.
Garp forcibly suppressed the fury that threatened to erupt, compelling himself to remain calm.
Because the opponent before him was Rocks D. Xebec!
If he became distracted to provide support, even for just a fraction of a second, Rocks would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to launch a fierce assault.
By then, not only would he fail to save Tsuru and Zephyr, but he himself might be severely wounded or even killed!
Sengoku found himself in the same predicament.
Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Power seemed to have surged even further during their recent clash. Every swing of his blade made space tremble, every empty tremor caused the entire sea to groan.
This forced Sengoku to give his all; the slightest distraction would result in serious injury.
"Bastard!"
"Get out of my way, Whitebeard Newgate!"
Sengoku roared angrily, his golden Buddha form erupting with blinding radiance.
He brought his palms together before his chest, then slowly drew them apart.
Between his palms, a terrifying energy sphere over ten meters in diameter took shape.
He intended to use this strike to forcibly push back Whitebeard, even if only for an instant!
But Whitebeard wasn't one to be intimidated.
"Gurarara... Sengoku, you're not going anywhere!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily, crossing his fists before his chest.
Semi-transparent tremor power wrapped around his arms like a solid substance. His posture sank slightly, muscles bulging to their limit, and then—
He violently swung his arms outward!
Crack!! Crack!!
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was unleashed at full force!
White spatial fissures spread through the air like lightning—not just one, but dozens, hundreds of them!
The fissures expanded simultaneously from both sides of Whitebeard, like two invisible giant hands closing in from left and right, aiming to trap Sengoku completely within.
"Damn it!" Sengoku cursed furiously.
The air tremors from both sides had formed a perfect encirclement, blocking all his routes of evasion and rescue.
At this point, even though Sengoku was concerned about his comrades, he couldn't break away.
He could only grit his teeth and push his Great Buddha Form to its limits once more.
The golden Buddha body expanded to a height of thirty meters, his palms thrust forward like two small mountains:
"Great Buddha·Shockwave!"
A massive shockwave surged from his palms like a tidal wave.
Sengoku's shockwave clashed with Whitebeard's tremor waves!
Boom——!!!
The collision between the two distorted the entire space.
The residual waves of the explosion pushed the seawater aside, creating a temporary vacuum zone five hundred meters in diameter centered around them.
No seawater, no air—only pure chaotic energy running rampant.
"Vice Admiral Zephyr is injured and unable to provide support! Vice Admirals Garp and Sengoku are also unable to break away!"
"Hurry! Quickly save Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Within the navy ranks, several officer-level commanders finally reacted.
They simultaneously used Shave to dash forward, catching Tsuru's falling body steadily just as she was about to plunge into the sea.
"Quick... quickly take Vice Admiral Tsuru to the medical room!"
Engaged in fierce combat with Rocks and Whitebeard, Garp and Sengoku breathed a slight sigh of relief upon sensing through Observation Haki Perception that Tsuru had been safely caught.
"Jihahaha... Captain, we've secured the Celestial Tribute! We can withdraw!" Shiki laughed maniacally from high above.
In the distant sky, the transport ship carrying the Celestial Tribute had completely left the sea surface, hovering three hundred meters in the air like a floating castle.
"Look over there! The transport ship is floating in the sky!"
"It's Officer Shiki! The Celestial Tribute has been secured!"
The pirates stared blankly at the treasure-laden ship suspended in midair before erupting into mountain-toppling, tsunami-like cheers.
"Hahaha... So it's done?"
Rocks, who had been suppressing Garp the entire time, burst into loud laughter. He feinted a slash to force Garp back, then took a deep breath, his voice resonating like a great bell across the entire battlefield:
"All forces, withdraw—!!!"
With the Celestial Tribute now in their possession and their strategic objective achieved, there was no need to continue engaging with the Marines.
Prolonging the fight would only lead to unnecessary casualties, and it remained unknown whether Marine reinforcements were already en route.
For safety's sake, withdrawal was the best course of action.
The mission to seize the Celestial Tribute had been accomplished.
Captain Rocks' voice seemed to possess magical authority, as the pirates ceased fighting immediately upon hearing the command.
Their frenzied assault instantly transformed into an orderly retreat.
The Marines could only watch with ashen faces as the pirates withdrew.
It could only be said that Marine leadership had underestimated the strength of Rocks and Raiver Sky.
Had they known earlier, Kong would have defied the Celestial Dragons to mobilize all three current Admirals, using this opportunity to annihilate the Rocks Pirates in one fell swoop.
After all, one of the Admirals' responsibilities was protecting the safety of the Celestial Dragons.
"Bastards..."
A Marine Rear Admiral gripped his sword hilt, eyes bloodshot:
"Are we... are we just going to let them leave?"
No one answered.
Because everyone knew pursuing would be meaningless.
The transport ship in the sky was ascending, soon to break through the cloud layer.
The Rocks Pirates fleet on the sea surface was gathering, preparing to withdraw.
As for the Marines...
All their top-tier combatants were pinned down, and ordinary soldiers chasing after them would only be marching to their deaths.
Meanwhile, the thunderous clashes from where Whitebeard and Sengoku were fighting gradually subsided.
Whitebeard stood with Cloud Cutter held before him, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Even for him, the intense battle with Sengoku had taken considerable toll.
Hearing Rocks' command, Whitebeard looked at the golden Great Buddha opposite him and laughed heartily:
"Gurarara... Sengoku, it seems the outcome of this battle is decided. Shall we continue?"
Sengoku's face remained dark. He slowly withdrew from his Great Buddha Form but didn't respond immediately, instead looking up toward the distant sky before turning his gaze to the sea surface.
The Rocks Pirates were retreating.
Finally, he looked toward his own forces:
Zephyr stood panting on the deck, drenched in blood; Tsuru, severely injured and unconscious, had been taken to the medical room; Garp had been suppressed by Rocks throughout the entire battle; the soldiers' faces were etched with exhaustion and humiliation...
Sengoku's heart wrestled violently.
Continue fighting?
It was meaningless now.
The Celestial Tribute was lost, and their overall strength was no match for the Rocks Pirates.
Even if they could desperately take down a few Officers of the Rocks Pirates, or even severely injure Whitebeard or Golden Lion...
The cost might be Zephyr's death, Garp severely wounded, all soldiers sacrificed...
And such actions wouldn't change the overall situation.
The wrath of the Celestial Dragons would still descend, the World Government's accountability would still arrive, and the Navy's reputation would still plummet.
These words churned in Sengoku's throat, burning like hot iron, making them impossible to utter.
But he had to say them.
No more meaningless sacrifices!
Sengoku spoke, his voice as dry as sandpaper grinding:
"Pursuit of the Rocks Pirates is forbidden!"
These words struck the hearts of all Navy soldiers like a thousand-pound hammer.
Some young Marines even couldn't help but redden their eyes—not from fear, but from humiliation.
As members of the Navy, watching pirates brazenly steal the Celestial Tribute and swagger away...
This was more unbearable than dying in battle.